


Cooler Than The SU Allows

by baekjuhos



Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Jaeyoon and Juho are figure skaters, Light Angst, M/M, This takes place in the winter olympics, World Figure Skating Championships, and juho breahtes jaeyoon, jaeyoon just adores Juho so damn much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:21:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25474561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baekjuhos/pseuds/baekjuhos
Summary: They trained hard for the olympics. But not everyone granted them their success.
Relationships: Baek Juho | Zuho/Lee Jaeyoon
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	Cooler Than The SU Allows

**Author's Note:**

> like always, none of this is real.  
> i am not affiliated with the ISU or the olympics, i have no clue about figure skating except that it looks so cool and pretty and that the blades are sharp sharp.

Juho absolutely hated the gym. It was disgusting him, knowing that people left their sweat on the equipment. Plus, he didn't like being watched while working out, which was paradox in itself considering he was a professional figure skater. 

It had been a long fight to get permission to join competitions, mainly because his partner was a male, too. They unknowingly had caused a huge controversy and a giant wave of discussions. At the end, they had many supporters. 

His coach had told him to not forget that even if there were people fond of them, there were at least twice as many who opposed them. 

The pair had been brought together by their coaches as what was intended to be a short lived project but even the two long-established skaters had been left speechless at the two's chemistry. 

"You have to stay in shape, Juho. People are scrutinizing you two when you're presenting a perfect program. They'll rip you apart for the smallest mistake, so lose every bit of fat you have. Turn them into muscles, I don't care. Just make it easier for you to be carried."

Juho, at that, just stared at his coach. Horrified. He was anything but hard to lift, in his eyes. Jaeyoon, his partner, had overheard their conversation and promptly shut the coach up. "He's not heavy. Stop putting him down." 

Despite all of that, Juho still went to the gym on a daily basis. All he did was some cardio workout, though. 

Jaeyoon and their coaches were already on the ice, waiting for Juho patiently. The younger slowly skated towards them, gently coming to a halt next to Jaeyoon. 

"The qualifications are coming up. Have you monitored your last performance?" 

They did, of course they did. Juho's perfectionistic self found mistakes in the tiniest movements, which, truth to be told, put Jaeyoon off a little. 

"The straight upside down lift needs to be worked on. Just like the quadruple turns and diagonal steps." 

He went off and off and Jaeyoon rested his head on Juho's shoulder. What their coaches were trying to say was, that their entire routine was lacking and they shouldn't waste any more time. 

They started the music the second they were done with their analysis and skated further away, giving them space to train. 

Juho started to warm up with stretches, followed by skating around the ice rink a couple of times. Jaeyoon copied him.

"Synchronised even while warming up. Amazing." 

"They're slacking off because you keep complimenting them for the most basic things." She just rolled her eyes at her co-trainer's words. 

Juho let his body be taken over by the music, completely letting the sound wash over him. He had just gently clasped Jaeyoon's hand as both skated side by side. 

The second they were done with warming up, they were instructed to perfect their spins. 

Instead of improving Juho felt like he was getting worse, judging by the way his coach kept telling him off.

This was going to be a long, long day. 

They had just halted in their endposition, with Jaeyoon holding Juho's wrist dramatically while the younger had twisted his body away as if he was leaving. 

Juho was supposed to be happy, he was supposed to be relieved, they had delivered a flawless performance afterall. But all he could focus on was the pain in his ankle, searing hot pain that crept up his leg. Jaeyoon immediately engulfed him in a tight hug and Juho nearly collapsed. His partner wasn't stupid, he knew that the deep slash had reopened during their second jump. Jaeyoon cupped Juho's face, pressing his forehead against Juho's in an attempt to distract the younger. His face was pain stricken as he wrapped his thin arms around Jaeyoon, more to relieve his aching foot than anything else. 

They had tuned the applause completely out. Jaeyoon saw how their coaches were close to jumping onto the ice to carry the young skater down. "It's going to be okay, Juho." Was all he could say while slowly leading him towards the exit. He nearly collapsed and Jaeyoon did the only thing that came into his mind: use his foot as a pillow for his partner's injured one, circling his arm around his thin waist and guiding him out of the rink. 

Despite their skates being made of thick material, the black faux leather was stained by dark spots. Barely ten steps in, Jaeyoon picked Juho up, piggy back carrying him towards their worried coaches. 

He felt the younger press his face into his back, he knew Juho was holding his tears back by the way his collar got wet. Jaeyoon couldn’t blame him. They had trained hard, just as hard as the other skaters and one team’s unsporting behaviour had injured his partner so severely that Juho had sacked to the icy ground with a pool of blood around his foot. 

Jaeyoon felt responsible. If he hadn’t pulled Juho with him to train, the team wouldn’t have sliced his leg. Juho wouldn’t have been hurt, he wouldn’t have had to tape his leg. He would’ve been able to perform without being in pain. 

Their coaches assisted Juho to walk towards the bench where they were supposed to wait for the judges results, for their points. While all teams excitedly interacted with the cameras, Jaeyoon was busy with helping Juho put his leg up into his lap. Instantly, paramedics rushed towards them, their coaches trying to shield him from the prying cameras. Jaeyoon held him close. “It hurts so bad, Yoonie.” Juho couldn’t help the tears falling- he saw his entire career flash in front of his eyes. The more the paramedics twisted his ankle - in an attempt to get the skate off his foot - the more it hurt and the more he dug his nails into Jaeyoon’s arm and hand. None of them heard the announced points, nor did they hear their placement. 

Jaeyoon was busy with distracting Juho by whispering calming words into his ear, while Juho was busy with trying to focus on Jaeyoon’s warm, gentle voice. Which proved to be hard as his eyes were drawn to his still bleeding talus. Their coaches were still placing themselves in front of the two, shielding them from the intrusive lenses. 

Juho let out a sob when he saw the horrified look on his coaches face or the gasp Jaeyoon let out when he had peeked at the now freed limb. The cut had ripped further under the pressure Juho had put his foot through. It was deeper than before, definitely as Juho didn’t remember seeing tendons. If he had strained it further, he was sure he’d have seen the bones. Juho was sure he wouldn’t be able to skate anymore. 

To make it worse, the team who had caused his injury had been left off the hook without a punishment. All the skater got was a gentle slap onto the wrist. Juho hadn’t even gotten an apology. The male who had slashed his foot had looked at him and just said “Watch where you take a break.” and had skated off. 

Whispers seemed to erupt as Juho had been helped onto the stretcher, his legs immediately covered up with a thick blanket. Jaeyoon was about to follow his partner but was held back by their trainers. “You can’t leave, Jaeyoon. The competition isn’t over yet.” 

Juho’s coach gave him an apologetic look. “But I can’t leave- I can’t leave him alone! You saw his ankle. You can’t expect me to- No. I can’t.” Jaeyoon wildly waved around, completely forgetting that there were millions of viewers watching him. “Listen, Jaeyoon. He’s going to be fine. Now you just need to be strong for both of you, okay?” 

Jaeyoon was about to sit on their designated spot but was told that their performance had been outstanding- they had broken their personal record and olympic score at the same time. He wanted to laugh and generally just tightly hug Juho, he wanted to celebrate with him but he couldn’t. Instead, he sat in the seat meant for two alone, between the two other medal contender teams. 

Jaeyoon knew he looked troubled, he knew he looked ungrateful but he couldn’t help it. 

The hours seemed to pass slowly and no other team had managed to reach Juho’s and Jaeyoon’s points. He tapped first his feet, then his fingers onto his legs, impatiently. His mind was polluted with the worst possible scenarios- would they be amputating Juho’s foot? Surely not, right? He was making a living, literally, with his feet. They’d probably have to withdraw from the competition. Juho had been really excited about the free skating program and now it was all for vain. Simply because a couple couldn’t play fair and square, Juho had to suffer and the two had to give up though they were so close to their dream. 

During the commercial break between the last performance and the announcement of the winners, Juho had been wheeled back in. Jaeyoon jumped up, immediately rushing to his partners side. He was still in his competition fit. He looked as gorgeous as always, the black faux feathers on his suit giving him another mystical touch. Jaeyoon could make out the dried tear stains on his face and his heart twisted once again. Immediately, the older held out his arm and Juho instantly reached out to hook his own through it, had it not been for the painful reminder that he still couldn’t move as he wanted to. He exhaled sharply, completely ignoring Jaeyoon’s worried face as he hopped on one foot towards him. 

"I heard we broke the record." There was a smile on Juho's face before he sucked in a sharp breath as he hubbled towards where the officials had waved them to. 

"Yeah, we did. We got 250 points." Jaeyoon's exclamation made Juho stop jumping. "We-  _ what _ ?" 

Jaeyoon's smile was wide upon seeing Juho's astonished expression.Instantly, Jaeyoon reached out for him. “You heard right, Jju. We made it.” 

The disbelief in Juho’s eyes morphed into happiness. His eyes crinkled at the sides, shining brightly as the smile lit up his entire face. He threw his arms around Jaeyoon’s neck in ecstasy. 

Though the cameras were still rolling, Juho pressed a gentle kiss to his neck, effectively shielding his face with his arms, which he had still wrapped tightly around him. 

They had lined up for the award ceremony. First, the third place was announced and the team that had hurt Juho entered the ice rink, bowing before they stepped onto the podest. Juho usually wasn’t someone to gloat over the catcalling of people but this time, he would’ve been lying if he had said he wasn’t enjoying it a little. The team had barely gotten any applause, as the audience had knowledge about what had occurred during the training session. News, mainly boulevard press, had taken up on the topic and Juho remembered one particular title: Assaulting their rival- proof that the first male pair is too powerful or just an action for the voices of the homophobic viewers? 

The two could see how the team’s faces had instantly dropped the second they received more disapproving whistles than clapping. Jaeyoon tightened his arm around Juho’s waist. By now, the second place had been announced and soon, it was their turn. 

Their managers had jogged up to them in a hurry, handing Juho a glass of water with painkillers. “You know how it goes, right?” The two nodded. Of course they did, they had been following the Olympics since they were little. The couple would have to perform their choreography once more, which meant for Juho to be as pain free as possible. If he was lucky, the painkiller would be in full force once the ceremony had finished. 

“First place, Team of South Korea. Juho Baek and Jaeyoon Lee.” Once their names dropped, joy filled both of them. The pure adrenaline rush made Juho temporarily forget about his ankle. They were still in their costumes, as they’d be performing once more. Jaeyoon slowly led Juho towards the middle of the rink, where they bowed simultaneously multiple times. They had turned around to skate towards the podest when Jaeyoon was hit with something on the back of his head. It didn’t necessarily hurt but made him lose his footing. Had it not been for Juho holding his hand, he’d have kissed the cold ground. Laughter erupted when Jaeyoon regained his posture again and Juho buried his face in his hands in embarrassment. Jaeyoon picked the bouquet of flowers up and held it high, thanking whoever threw it to them with a smile. 

The second they had stepped up on the first place pedestal, another round of applause erupted. Jaeyoon watched Juho’s face, the way he excitedly fiddled around on the spot he was standing at, the way his eyes were filled with pure happiness, joy oozing out of the crinkled corners of his eyes and flowing down into the genuinely delighted, bright smile. He wanted to do nothing more than pull him close and litter his face with soft kisses. Despite the urge to just go with it, Jaeyoon held himself together as they were in quite a public spot.

Once they had received the medals, bouquets and mascot plush, Jaeyoon helped Juho down. Though the analgesic slowly started to unfold as the pain lessened, Juho still had trouble with getting down of heights - no matter how small they were. 

Approximately half an hour later, which the audience used to warm themselves up with hot drinks and to use the restroom, the three teams had been done with the short interviews and picture time. 

The man who had injured Juho had skated up to him. He at first ignored him, though he unintentionally skated further into Jaeyoon’s side. “Congrats on winning.” He said. 

Before Juho could reply, he continued. Jaeyoon was tightly holding Juho’s hand, intently listening to what the male was saying although he was focused on getting the younger back onto solid ground before their performance. 

“Seems like you weren’t as hurt as everyone said, considering the show you pulled.” His voice was nice but the pure venom those words held angered Juho. He didn’t have time to react as he felt Jaeyoon stiffen and Juho knew he was getting ready to throttle the rival. Juho put his free hand onto Jaeyoon’s strong chest, effectively calming him down. He still glared the man down, though. “Ignore him, Jju.” 

Once the rink was cleared and patched up for the winning couple and the music started, the two started their performance. From start to end, it was flawless like the first time- proving that it hadn’t been sheer luck. Each twist and turn resulted in pain shooting through Juho’s entire body but he didn’t stop, he didn’t listen when Jaeyoon whispered they should just end the performance. Juho was stubborn, he wanted to finish it. And he did.

After they had showered and changed into their regular clothes, Jaeyoon carried Juho on his back around. His foot was hurting terribly but he wanted to celebrate. Their coaches had followed them around, not that the couple cared frankly spoken. They just wanted to let off all the tension that had built up during the past years as they had trained non stop for the competition. “Let’s go in there!” Juho pointed towards a rather small, cozy looking pub. 

Jaeyoon pressed a gentle kiss onto his outstretched arm, earning a short giggle. 

As soon as they were seated and had given out their orders, Juho snuggled close to Jaeyoon. “Pose! We should post it on your social media.” The two looked at their coaches. They were now known to the public, so they had to, right?

Juho rested his head on Jaeyoon’s shoulder, a tiny smile on his face and his eyes closed. Jaeyoon just stared straight into the camera, his arm hooked through Juho’s as both held up a finger heart. While their trainers were busy with editing and uploading the picture, Jaeyoon puckered his lips. Once Juho looked up and saw Jaeyoon with closed eyes, he couldn’t help the soft laugh escaping his throat before he leaned in and pecked his push, puckered lips. 

They had been lost in their world, with Juho's injured leg resting on Jaeyoon's lap, the younger pushing strands that fell into Jaeyoon's face gently away before the latter rubbed his nose against Juho's. He stole a quick kiss before he leaned in and whispered something into Juho's ear, which earned him a smile and half hearted slap against the shoulder. 

Once their drinks arrived did the two check their phones at the same time and saw the multiple notifications fly in. 

Comments like "Cute!" or "Adorable dream team!" were the most represented until one caught their attention. "So they are dating after all?" They exchanged glances, worried glances, before they clicked onto the mention and we're redirected to a video of Jaeyoon carrying Juho towards the pub. 

They let out a breath in relief, one they didn't know they held in. Soon enough, the video had been forgotten and the two were back to enjoying their night. They had also tuned out their coaches, who were lost in their own conversation either way. 

Juho had refrained from consuming too much alcohol, as he had taken yet another strong painkiller. And knowing Jaeyoon, the older would be drunk after three glasses. To his surprise, though, his partner hadn’t ordered an alcoholic beverage. Juho rested his head on Jaeyoon’s broad shoulder, leaning up to kiss his jaw while the other just tightened his hold. 

He absolutely loved it when Juho just let go, he loved it when Juho was just himself. He always held back whenever they were in public, simply because he was afraid of the backlash they’d face. Juho was a gentle soul, his heart more fragile than anyone would’ve guessed. His sharp, distinctive features fooled everyone into believing that he was cold, mean, rude- when they were far off from it. Jaeyoon had never met someone with a soft soul like Juho. It was like Juho needed to be in constant physical contact with anyone, particularly Jaeyoon, to flourish. He was the happiest when he was hugged, he shined the brightest when he held Jaeyoon’s hand. 

Jaeyoon traced Juho’s nose, then lips with the tip of his finger gently. He felt Juho shiver a little before he snuggled even closer. “I’m so proud of you, Juho.” 

In the end, Jaeyoon had ended up ordering two high percentage drinks for himself, which he regretted the next morning. He wasn’t good at holding his liquor well. Jaeyoon didn’t remember how he got home, either. 

When he woke up the next morning, Juho was soundly sleeping next to him. His snoring was ripping through the silence. Usually, Jaeyoon found the sounds his partner made in his sleep adorable, soothing even but in that moment, he would’ve done anything to get back the quiet from the evening. 

Juho’s snoring sounded like a saw fighting against a thick tree trunk, whereas the chainsaw lost the fight and the chain sprung out of its place. Even if Jaeyoon tried to wake him up, Juho wouldn’t budge. The younger was sleeping so tightly, that barely anything woke him up. So instead of wasting his energy on trying to tune out the snoring, Jaeyoon tapped to their medicine cupboard, took a painkiller for his headache and jumped back under the covers, hugging Juho’s back. He hid his face in the younger’s back, inhaling his citrusy smell while draping his leg over Juho’s. 

Juho unconsciously leaned into Jaeyoon’s hug, holding his arms tightly while peacefully slumbering. 

Jaeyoon was happy.

**Author's Note:**

> i know this is pretty short but since im still not the best in writing cute stuff......bear with me  
> feedback is welcome.


End file.
